Qualidade ambiental de áreas verdes: levantamento florístico e a importância da arborização da praça Marcos Vinícius da Silva Silvério, Maceió-AL

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The rapid growth of cities, due to the constant urbanization process, causes a shortage of urban green spaces. In view of the extensive forested area and the speed with which its destruction oc- curs, discussions on this topic are still far short of what is desired. Green areas, besides being the habitat for plants and animals, function as recreation and leisure environments, serving to neutral- ize the stressful urban factors such as noise, heat and air pollution. Thus, this research aimed to analyze the importance of afforestation through a floristic survey and the perception of residents in relation to existing green areas in the Square Marcos Vinicius da Silva Silvério, located in the neighborhood Eustáquio Gomes in the city of Maceió-AL. The field research was carried out in October 2022. The next phase corresponded to the collection of data carried out through visits to the square through exploratory walks to identify the species and application of questionnaires, then organized a table with the floristic composition distributed in families only for the species of arboreal habitats, containing origin (exotic or native), common name and dispersal syndrome. The floristic list was organized using the APG IV classification system. The evaluation of the environ- mental perception of local residents and visitors was performed by collecting opinions through a questionnaire, consisting of 11 objective questions, answered by 32 local residents and visitors. In total 95 individuals were found and identified, divided into 18 species belonging to 11 botanical families. The most representative families were the Fabaceae (37%) with 35 species, Moraceae (33%) 31 species and Anacardeaceae (12%) 11 species. In terms of origin, the exotic species dom- inated the square, reducing the increase in biodiversity of the local flora. Considering the environ- mental perception, it was found that most of the interviewees are generally in favor of having tree-covered urban squares, highlighting social and environmental values as the most interesting. They reported abandonment by the government and the existence of many animals, considered by them to be one of the most worrying local problems. We conclude that the interviewees have an ade- quate understanding of the importance of the existence of green urban areas. It is known that the public power has an important role in the proposal of the insertion of species in these spaces, opting for species native to the national flora, unlike what was observed in the square. It is hoped that this study will help in the future conduct of environmental education and its planning, and thus abolish the basic problems evidenced, according to the conception of residents and frequent- ers of the locality.

Keywords: floristic survey; urban afforestation; environmental education.